I Remember
by TaleHeart
Summary: Po, Shifu, & the Five return home after a fight and Five & Po shirk it off like it's nothing. Shifu hears this and reflects on the time when he was a student, learning the true balance of Yin&Yang. Bad summery, SORRY!


I Remember

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kung Fu Panda or its affiliated characters; those belong to Dream Works.**

_**A/N: This is just a little one-shot I thought up of while watching the end of Kung Fu Panda. I thought it would be interesting to do Shifu's point of view as he reflects on battles past. Enjoy.**_

_**NOTE :**__**The flashbacks are choppy for a reason, as they're supposed to be dis-jointed memories.**_

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><p>"Hiya! Ho kaiee! Those crocs never stood a chance!" Po's exaggerated movements and ridiculous battle cries seemed to rock the floorboards as everyone filed into the kitchen, all except me.<p>

"Master, are you alright?" Tigress's concerned tone brought me back to my senses as I looked up, able to read her usually guarded eyes like the pages of a book : _' Why aren't you joining us?'_.

"I am fine, Master Tigress; I simply wish to be alone and undisturbed for the rest of the evening. Now, go join the others for dinner, dismissed." I stated, returning her respective bow and watching her stride into the kitchen.

I stood alone on the porch, my ears swiveling to the closed door behind me, hearing the laughter and joking of my students as they discussed the fierce scuffle we had just returned home from as if it was just a training exercise.

I suppose, to them, it was, a mere mock-fight unworthy of their full abilities. Oh, if only they'd see different.

If only, they would know not to take injuries lightly, to understand the full balance of every fight.

I know, I remember.

***Flashbacks* [NOTE: Again, the memories are choppy because they are dis-jointed and flickering.]**

_A young student, barely four months of training, up against three boar bandits._

_Pressed back-to-back with your friend; fighting with all your heart; only to be beaten within an inch of your life._

_Your training not enough, your strength too insignificant save only by the fact that you were children did they let you live._

_Three years training now. You fight side-by-side with ease, believing you're invincible, fierce in offence, careless in defense._

_Laughing with your friend as you walk home, dismissing the slice on his ribcage as a 'paper cut'._

_Watching your friend thrash violently in his bed, overcome with fever from an infected wound._

_Helpless to stop it, and are forced to witness him attempt to draw air into his fluid-filled lungs, black poisoned blood seeping from a 'paper cut'._

_Never again to see your friend, but for a marked stone in an empty glade._

_Ten years of training. You train harder than ever; to be the strongest you can be, to never underestimate defense or battle wounds._

_Solo in a fight, thinking that the extra strength will mean an easy victory._

_Fighting too suddenly, too harsh, too straight, defending to heavily, tiring too fast; watching the bandits bend and prance, gentle, flowing, patient, deflecting and redirecting rather than defending, energized long after the start of the fight._

_Left injured and exhausted, clutching the words the bandits left. 'We let you live for you to learn. Be patient, gentle, know your limits. Learn the balance of Yin and Yang.'_

_Meditating alone, nothing but the wind as company._

_Walking slowly into town, towards his favorite store._

_Watching larger children bully a small rabbit. Stepping in, intent on protecting the sniffling child._

_Demanding to know what possessed the children be so cruel, hand raised to strike at their pathetic excuses._

_Stopping in mid-swing ,the graceful bandit's words echoing through your mind._

_Lowering your hand, spending the rest of the day teaching them to be kind, respectful._

_Returning home, body and mind sore from five days teaching the children respect, to be patient, difference of Yin and Yang._

_Looking up as Master's praise registers in your mind._

_Being named a Master in your own right in front of everyone you've ever known; heart filled with bittersweet joy for your friend, who should've been standing alongside you._

_Feeling the weight of Master's pendant being placed around your neck, a simple wooden Yin/Yang sign bouncing against your chest._

_Joy evident in every motion of every day, feeling as if the world is perfect._

_Gazing at the small, spotted cat, your son, a miracle in your mind._

_Training with him, teaching him, promising splendor and fulfillment, pride surging through your soul as he completed tasks with ease._

_Showing him to be strong and firm, gentle and bending, the ways of Yin and Yang._

_Waiting for your Master's verdict, beaming with joy as you gaze at your full grown son; planning to give him the pendant that had hung around your neck since the day you received it._

_Watching the excitement die from his eyes, replaced with betrayal when he is denied; the pendant still in place._

_Gazing with horror at the devastation below you, finally realizing that although your son knew when to bend and deflect, to ram and attack, he never learned the true Yin and Yang; the things that make up what you've become._

_Hearing the thudding of paws across the floor, launching your body into a full air assault steeling yourself with harsh, Yang thoughts._

_Nearing your target, feeling your Yin side make an unexpected appearance as you look into those wild, hate- filled eyes. Faltering, feeling the crack as your leg is shattered._

_On hands and knees, staring at that familiar face, finally knowing the full extent of the true meaning of Yin and Yang._

***End Flashbacks***

I roused myself from those haunting memories and slowly walked into the kitchen; my uneven gait alerting my students of my arrival.

As I closed the door, I was aware of six pairs of eyes trained on me, the emotions reflecting in them going from concerned to curious.

"Master, what is it? Is something the matter?" Po's slightly anxious voice seemed to speak for all of them as I made my way to the table.

"Come here." The Five and Po instantly crowded the table at my low command.

"I heard you laughing and joking about the fight earlier, and I know you believe that it was below your full abilities." Tigress dropped her gaze, as well as Viper, while Mantis, Monkey, Crane and Po visibly cringed.

I raised my hand just as the Five and Po opened their mouths, waving for them to remain silent before continuing.

"I am not going to reprimand you; rather, I would like to teach you something I had to learn the hard way, many years ago."

As I spoke I pulled an old Yin/Yang pendant out of my robes and placed it on the table, the same one Oogway gave me the day I became a Master.

"There was a time where I thought that Yin and Yang only referred to fighting stances and defense maneuvers; I could never have been more wrong."

I could tell that my students where listening to every word; I took a deep breath, readying the memories I had just relived on the porch in preparation to speak them aloud.

"I remember when I was…"

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><p><em><strong>AN: So what do you think? Yes, no maybe so? Tell me what you think! R & R, pleeeeeeeeaaaaaassssse… ; )**_


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